Problem: Simplify the following expression: $y = \dfrac{-6a - 6}{3a - 7} \div 8$
Solution: Dividing by a number is the same as multiplying by its inverse. $y = \dfrac{-6a - 6}{3a - 7} \times \dfrac{1}{8}$ When multiplying fractions, we multiply the numerators and the denominators. $y = \dfrac{(-6a - 6) \times 1} {(3a - 7) \times 8}$ $y = \dfrac{-6a - 6}{24a - 56}$ Simplify: $y = \dfrac{-3a - 3}{12a - 28}$